'antiblack' originates from Modern English, formed by the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') combined with the adjective 'Black' (from Old English 'blæc', meaning 'black, dark').

'anti-' entered English via Greek/Latin use and combined with English nouns/adjectives; the hyphenated compound 'anti-Black' arose in 19th–20th century discourse to indicate opposition to Black people, and in late 20th–21st century academic and activist writing the unhyphenated form 'antiblack' and related term 'antiblackness' became more common.

Initially a literal combination meaning 'against Black (people or things)', the term has evolved in modern usage to denote not only individual prejudice but systemic, ideological, and structural forms of hostility often discussed as 'antiblackness'.